Thank you for expressing an interest in volunteering for the Vancouver Island Crisis Society. This involvement can be a challenging and fascinating activity through which you can realize personal growth by helping others.

Set out below is an outline of the volunteer commitment requirement as well as details regarding the application process. All potential volunteers are required to undergo a criminal record check prior to being accepted. Full details of the procedure will be discussed, should you be called in for an interview. Our minimum age requirement is 19. If a recent event such as a death or serious physical illness has affected your life in a significant way, we require potential volunteers to demonstrate what healing steps they have taken to ensure they are now in a healthy emotional place.

Volunteering at The Crisis Society

Volunteering on the crisis line is a rewarding experience. We offer an opportunity to learn new and useful skills as well as an opportunity to be involved in a “front line” helping environment. Many people find our program very useful for developing marketable skills and for exploring education options. The demand on our service is growing substantially and working on our crisis lines is a way to make a real difference in the community.

Our training takes place in two main phases. Phase 1 is our in-class segment, designed to help with foundational skills as well as building individual crisis intervention skills over the course of 5 to 6 weeks. Phase 2 is our hands-on segment of the training where, as a volunteer, you begin actually taking crisis line calls and familiarizing yourself with the phone room, which usually takes about one month. When we feel you are ready to be more independent on the lines, you begin your volunteer commitment, signing up for regular weekly shifts.